Each family has a unique history and make-up, and the concerns or issues presented vary not only with the family as a whole, but for each individual. Ages, personalities, capacity, and conditions (diagnosed or otherwise) all contribute in different ways to the process of family reunification and its outcomes, as well as co-parenting. Leanne’s approach to service is fluid, identifying the various factors at play and preparing a variety of potential solutions for everything from attachment disruptions to co-parenting or blended family concerns, and developing reconnection between a child and a parent and/or to extended family members, such as grandparents, aunts, and uncles. Sometimes, parties and/or their legal counsel may wonder if reunification or co-parenting is even possible, but regardless of the situation, prior to engaging in any reunification or co-parenting efforts, as part of the first phase of service Leanne conducts a high-level assessment which involves a 60-minute interview with each parent and the child(ren) individually (and occasionally together if assessing the parties’ ability to effectively co-parent). These are exploratory in nature and intended to assist in determining whether or not the full family reunification or co-parenting process is warranted or of any use. Following these interviews, a brief overview and action plan/recommendations is prepared and provided to the parties and/or their legal counsel in a formal document. In some cases, the disconnected parties or their caregiver(s) may be well-justified in their reasoning for maintaining a disconnect, and the parties may justifiably have an inability to co-parent, and this first phase can help determine that. Completion of Phase One is mandatory for all reunification and co-parenting files, and often saves all parties time and money in the long run.

Prior to commencing in either of these services, the parties must approve a formal estimate and both complete the intake form, sign a Professional Services Agreement and Non-Disclosure Agreement, and provide the required deposit or their respective portion(s) of the deposit. Sample agreements the parties would be expected to sign are available on the Resources page of this site. Please note that payment of a deposit in-full is required prior to service commencing, and any balances owing upon completion must be remitted prior to deliverables being provided.

None of these services include mental health assessments. These services follow an entirely neutral process that cannot be swayed or influenced by either parent or their legal counsel. It is important to note that these services do not contain any elements of a Section 211 Parenting Assessment, Hear the Child, or Views of the Child Report, do not involve any document disclosure or review of historical information including affidavits, orders, MCFD/RCMP disclosures, etc… and are intended to be future-focused, not used for litigation purposes. Parties and their legal counsel are both encouraged to cease any court activity that may serve to impede or delay these services from successfully taking place or progress being made.

If you have any further questions, if you feel this type of service would benefit your client’s case, or if you feel it would benefit your own case, please feel free to contact our offices using the contact form on this site. These services must be consented to by all parents/legal guardians of the child(ren) involved, or, in the absence of consent or agreement, must be ordered through legal counsel and/or by an order of the court/consent agreement.

PROCESS (PHASE ONE)

APPLIES TO FAMILY REUNIFICATION, CO-PARENTING, AND HYBRID ASSESSMENTS

STEP ONE

Upon completion of the intake process (intake form, signed agreements, and deposit paid), each parent/guardian will be contacted by e-mail and provided with the date and time that has been scheduled for their Parent Interview. This is typically provided up to two (2) weeks in advance and based on the availability each parent/guardian provided in their intake form. If one parent/guardian declines to participate or does not make themselves available, in order to ensure equal participation and fairness, neither parent will be interviewed (understandably, both parent interviews are mandatory for Co-Parenting). Appointments are assigned in close proximity to one another to ensure consistency and clarity and avoid long gaps of time where further issues may arise, so that any reporting is captured “point in time”. It is also to facilitate scheduling and timely completion of future steps in the process. It is imperative that parents/guardians/children make the necessary arrangements to their schedules, treating these appointments like a medical appointment or professional obligation, which may necessitate taking time from work or school to attend.

STEP TWO

Interviews with Parents/Guardians (up to 1 hour)

(there is no preparation required for these, and they will take place virtually – both parents/guardians should expect to have the meet-and-greet session(s) and child(ren) interview dates that take place during their parenting time, if applicable, scheduled at that time – virtual meeting room links will be provided to you in advance)

STEP THREE

2-3 DAYS FOLLOWING THE PARENT INTAKE PHONE CALLS

Virtual Meet-and-Greet Session with Child(ren) during Parent/Guardian A’s parenting time (up to 15 minutes)

(there is no preparation required for these, though parents/guardians should expect to also be present and participate in this brief session to introduce the child or children to the interviewer/report author and to receive a brief overview of the process – virtual meeting room links will be provided to you in advance)

STEP FOUR

CONCURRENT WITH STEP THREE

Virtual Meet-and-Greet Session with Child(ren) during Parent/Guardian B’s parenting time (up to 15 minutes)

STEP FIVE

1-2 DAYS FOLLOWING THE MEET-AND-GREET SESSIONS

Interview with Child(ren) in-person at Interviewer/Report Author’s offices (up to 1 hour)

(this can take place virtually from a neutral location such as a private room at a library, a counsellor’s office, or similar if the parties are not located in Victoria or are unable to travel to Victoria on the date that has been provided to them)

STEP SIX

2 WEEKS FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF THE INTERVIEWS

Preparation of the Evaluation & Assessment Component, Brief Report Preparation & Submission to Parties & Legal Counsel

For multiple children, the process is similar, and sessions can take place back-to-back for efficiency purposes.

Please note that firm submission/completion dates are never provided, as many factors can contribute to delays such as: the willingness and cooperation of the parties/legal counsel to participate in the report preparation process; the availability of parties and/or collateral(s) for interviews; the physical location of parties and/or collateral(s) for interviews where travel may be required; court proceedings that may hinder or cease report preparation activities; and, timely receipt of documentation and supporting information from parties throughout the report preparation process.

Following Phase One, nearly every family or co-parenting unit will have recommendations for further skill-building to take place in order to increase their capacity and readiness for Phase Three. It is a common yet dangerous misconception that participants can simply “dive right in” to the emotionally-burdensome work required to meaningfully reunify, reconcile, and/or co-parent. It is imperative that each individual take the extra time to follow those recommendations, which may include counselling, executive coaching, targeted programming specific to current or historical issues, and others. Building those skills will better equip each participant for the next steps and create a greater sense of understanding and empathy for what the others are experiencing as well. These recommendations will also include somewhat of a flow chart, indicating what is recommended in the event that one, some, or all of the participants are unwilling or unable to engage in following the recommendations specific to them.

PROCESS (PHASE TWO)

APPLIES TO FAMILY REUNIFICATION, CO-PARENTING, AND HYBRID ASSESSMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

STEP ONE

REVIEW YOUR ASSESSMENT & RECOMMENDATIONS

Review with our office the contents of your assessment and the recommendations, and generate a customized approach specific to your unique family dynamic. You will be provided with a formal Estimate at this time.

STEP TWO

REFLECTION

More often than not, some time is required for reflection and decision-making – these are important, life-changing steps and full commitment and participation is required from all involved in order to create a positive outcome, so don’t rush it! Talk to your family, talk to your friends, consult with your legal counsel (if necessary). We understand that it is also a financial commitment in addition to an emotional one, so please feel free to contact our office if you would like to set up a payment plan, but please note that services cannot begin until a deposit is received in full.

STEP THREE

GET TO WORK!

This is often the hardest part of the process, but the most personally-rewarding. This is the effort that will result in the greatest impact when proceeding to Phase Three.

Following Phase Two, having gained additional skills and increased capacity and readiness, families and co-parents may wish to enrol in a more intensive Family Reunification, Co-Parenting, or Parent-Child Contact service program. Particularly after high-conflict divorces or separations lead to contact or connection issues with a child or children, estrangement has occurred, or even relocation has affected the relationship(s) between family members and a disconnect has occurred, and the already-difficult task of raising children has become further complicated due to these disruptions. Whether it is Family Reunification, Co-Parenting, or direct Parent-Child Contact work, the process involves active participation from all parties.

Sessions are spaced and mixed according to a specialized clinical approach, and not all types of sessions are necessary in every file. Fewer or additional sessions in each category may be warranted dependent upon progress, number of children involved, and the ages/developmental stages of the children involved, and may involve multiple clinicians under a customized service program.

PROCESS (PHASE THREE)

APPLIES TO FAMILY REUNIFICATION

STEP ONE

STEP TWO

SESSIONS TAKE PLACE EVERY TWO (2) WEEKS

Initial Parent-Child Facilitated Reunification Contact Sessions with Disconnected Parent/Guardian & Child(ren) (up to 15 minutes) – 3 sessions

(these typically take place virtually in order to reduce stress/anxiety for all involved, though they are entirely facilitated – virtual meeting room links will be provided to you in advance)

STEP THREE

SESSIONS TAKE PLACE EVERY TWO (2) WEEKS – CONCURRENT WITH FACILITATED CONTACT SESSIONS

Check-In Reunification Sessions with Child(ren) Following Facilitated Contact Sessions – Individual (up to 30 minutes) – 3 sessions

(these also typically take place virtually immediately following the contact sessions and are intended to support the child(ren) and debrief with them – virtual meeting room links will be provided to you in advance)

STEP FOUR

SESSIONS TAKE PLACE EVERY TWO (2) WEEKS – IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING STEP TWO & THREE SESSIONS

Reunification & Support Sessions with Child(ren)/Parents/Guardians (up to 1 hour) – 3 sessions each

(these may place in-person or virtually and are intended to support the continued reunification process with separate approaches for the disconnected parent, the connected parent, and child(ren) – these may take place alongside continued reunification sessions in Step Five, or as standalone, whichever is deemed by the service provider to be the most appropriate in the circumstances and deemed by the service provider to be in the best interest(s) of the child(ren) – virtual meeting room links will be provided to you in advance)

STEP FIVE

SESSIONS TAKE PLACE EVERY TWO (2) WEEKS – MAY BE CONCURRENT WITH STEP FOUR SESSIONS

Scaled Parent-Child Facilitated Reunification Contact Sessions with Disconnected Parent/Guardian & Child(ren) (up to 30 minutes, then up to 1 hour) – 3 sessions each

(following the same principles of Step Four sessions, these may place in-person or virtually and are intended to support the continued reunification process and normalize parent-child contact in scaled up time increments while the service provider simultaneously scales back their level of involvement with the participants – virtual meeting room links will be provided to you in advance)

STEP SIX

DEPENDING ON PROGRESS, PARTICIPANTS MAY WISH TO CONTINUE IN THAT SERVICE MODEL, ENGAGE IN ALTERNATE, TARGETED PROGRAMMING OFFERED WITHIN OUR CLINICAL PRACTICE, OR ACCESS SUPPORT/SCHEDULE FURTHER SESSIONS ON AN AS-NEEDED BASIS.

PROCESS (PHASE THREE)

APPLIES TO CO-PARENTING

STEP ONE

SESSIONS TAKE PLACE EVERY FOUR (4) WEEKS – ALTERNATING WITH JOINT CO-PARENTING SESSIONS

Sessions with Parents – Individual (up to 1 hour) x 3 each

(there is no preparation required for these, and they will take place virtually, though parents should expect to be provided with very brief session-related “homework” items either prior-to or after their individual and joint sessions – virtual meeting room links will be provided to you in advance)

STEP TWO

SESSIONS TAKE PLACE EVERY FOUR (4) WEEKS – ALTERNATING WITH INDIVIDUAL SESSIONS

Sessions with Parents – Joint Co-Parenting (up to 1 hour) x 3 each

(there is no preparation required for these, and they will take place virtually, though parents should expect to be provided with very brief session-related “homework” items either prior-to or after their individual and joint sessions – virtual meeting room links will be provided to you in advance)

STEP ONE AND TWO SESSIONS WILL ALTERNATE EVERY TWO (2) WEEKS (i.e. INDIVIDUAL SESSIONS DURING ONE WEEK, A JOINT SESSION TWO WEEKS LATER, INDIVIDUAL SESSIONS TWO WEEKS FOLLOWING THAT, A JOINT SESSION TWO WEEKS FOLLOWING THAT)

STEP THREE

STEP ONE AND TWO SESSIONS WILL CONTINUE & ALTERNATE EVERY TWO (2) WEEKS (i.e. INDIVIDUAL SESSIONS DURING ONE WEEK, A JOINT SESSION TWO WEEKS LATER, INDIVIDUAL SESSIONS TWO WEEKS FOLLOWING THAT, A JOINT SESSION TWO WEEKS FOLLOWING THAT)

DEPENDING ON PROGRESS, CO-PARENTS MAY WISH TO CONTINUE IN THAT SERVICE MODEL, ENGAGE IN ALTERNATE, TARGETED PROGRAMMING OFFERED WITHIN OUR CLINICAL PRACTICE, OR ACCESS SUPPORT/SCHEDULE FURTHER SESSIONS ON AN AS-NEEDED BASIS.